SD73 implements new anti-racism plan
KAMLOOPS — A former School District 73 (SD73) student who said current occurrences and experiences of racism were never taught in school played a part in the district’s policy changes.
Mary Falade, the former student who launched a 2020 petition to teach Black history that collected over 1,000 signatures, and Joy Kwak developed an Anti-Racism and Human Rights plan for SD73.
It’s aimed at including perspectives, contributions and experiences of people of colour (POC) in curriculum and school resources.
“The curriculum was largely centered around white people in all subjects,” Falade said. “The history of racial oppression in Canada was always skimmed through and was typically an aside to whatever we were actually studying. It was never a topic of its own. Lack of POC representation in education not only encourages racist behaviour and thinking in white students, but also encourages internalized racism in POC students.
